This invention relates to a new and improved open--closed sign structure of the kind which may be used at the entry of a business or institution, not only to provide information to persons desiring to enter the establishment, but also to convey announcements, which may be easily changed, upon exiting the premises. The sign has shutter means to selectively indicate whether the business is open or closed, and may also include other indicia such as hours of operation or other information, which can be easily modified as desired by the user.
Open--Closed Signs having shutters are well-known in the prior art, and these devices generally consist of a sign body with means for entrapping therein a selectively movable shutter which when in one selected position displays one indicia, such as the word "open" and in another selected position display another indicia, such as the word "closed". Such signs frequently carry means for displaying a more permanent message, such as a changeable letter sign on which may be displayed hours of operation or other messages. These signs are usually secured to a window or door lite so that they may be viewed from either side or face, and they may be secured to a glass surface by means of suction cups arranged on the sign body.
James A. Hofman U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,406, granted Jul. 9, 19091, for SIGN STRUCTURES, is exemplary of such prior art "Open--Closed Signs", and also discusses pre-existing prior art for such devices. However, such prior art signs lack the novel structural features of the present invention, as hereinafter discussed.
The sign disclosed in this application embodies the attributes of the prior art, and, additionally, has novel like sign body sections which comprise the sign body when assembled together and carry a changeable letter board, and the assembled sign body also has means for slidably securing a shutter therein and holding the shutter in a selected position. This shutter consists of like panels which when reversed are keyed together and which slide in the sign body.
Arranged on opposed sides of the sign body are novel cam ring brackets, each of which holds a cam ring, and each shutter part has a corresponding detente which may be urged into a corresponding cam ring to secure the shutter in a predetermined open or closed position for displaying selected indicia. The indica may be changed to other indicia on the opposed edge of the shutter by urging the detente away from the ring to freely slide the shutter to another selected position where the detente on the other shutter panel engages the cam ring.
The above described arrangement for changing the sign from "Open" to "Closed" position, or vice versa, can be accomplished from the front or back sign of the sign, because the shutter crown is available from the top or bottom edge of the sign body. This arrangement also leaves both the face and reverse sides of the sign body free for display any special indicia desired.
The changeable letter boards which can form a part of the open-closed sign likewise may have novel magnetic panel members which include parallel ridges against which individual letters may be oriented in straight lines for neatly lining up and locating the components on the sign. These magnetic panel members and the letter indicia can be constructed of thinner configuration that conventional changeable letter signs and letters, and allow for mounting of changeable signs on both the face and rear sides of the sign board.
Fasteners may be arranged through corresponding corners of the sign bodies to hold the sign bodies together with the slidable shutter sections therebetween, and suction cups for mounting the sign to a selected surface may be secured to the fasteners along one face of one of the sign bodies.
This open closed sign summarized above is attractive and sturdy and easy and relatively inexpensive to manufacture, preferably by molding from plastic material. Such a sign has a small number of molds because the sign bodies and shutter panels are each made from a pair of like parts arranged together in a novel fashion. A sign constructed according to the present invention may be assembled by simply snapping together the shutter sections and threading the screws through the sign body sections, without special tools or adhesives or secondary forming or cutting operations common to prior art devices.
Such a sign provides superior means for communicating an open and closed or similar condition, and allows for more permanent messages to be easily arranged and re-arranged on the sign board. This device also has multiple sign surfaces, so that many messages may be displayed and expeditiously changed.